Cold
by meadowmint
Summary: "It was a simple recon..."


**Author's Note:**

**I've really enjoyed the privelage of being able to see the entirety of _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_ with my family. I never thought I'd write a Star Wars fanfiction, but turns out I did a while back one night when I felt like digging out my favorite clipboard and a paper and pencil. It's short, but hopefully you might enjoy it (Even if it _is_ as terrible as I suspect.).**

**Disclaimer:**

**Nope. Nada. Nix. I do not own any rights to The Clone Wars. Or anything like that. Probably a good thing.**

Cold.

That was the first thing Ahsoka Tano realized as her mind slowly drifted back to the harshness that was reality. What had happened? She couldn't quite bring herself to remember immediately. All she knew was that it was dark, and she couldn't see. Then she realized; why were her eyes closed? Maybe it didn't matter, as it seemed to not be worth the effort to open them. Sleep sounded so nice...

Then pain. A sharp, stabbing, hot pain suddenly made its presence known, and she instinctively curled into herself, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She screwed her eyes shut tighter, moaning. "Okay, just breathe..." She told herself, trying to calm down her now racing heart. Centering herself, she slowly worked up the courage to open her eyes.

Snow. So _that's_ why she was so cold...

Snowflakes fell softly in front of her, the background out of focus as she watched the nearest crystals disappear into the white blanket she lay in. Mesmerized, she watched them camouflage themselves amongst their own kind, lost in a crowd of the same, becoming one. She felt there were sounds, as if she could actually hear each flake land. But it was so distant and muffled.

Sound. Gradually, she realized something was happening around her. It felt faraway, but she knew it couldn't be... or at least it was coming closer. She should get up, leave before it disturbed her peace.

"Ahh!" She tried, but couldn't do it as another wave of pain washed over her, causing her to plop face first back into the snow. She reopened her eyes, her face tightened into a grimace as she looked looked out again, the pain making her more desperate to get a grasp of what the heck was happening. This time, she saw further away, though now her vision was no longer unfocused but slightly blurred. Beams of light, both red and green, arced through the air. Finally, she realized the muffled booms were explosions. She began to hear more clearly, the sounds of lasers as they fired, clones shooting and droids clanking.

Now she remembered, her eyes widening, but the light proved too much as it sent a sharp stabbing sensation through her head. She closed her eyes again. It was a simple recon, but they'd been ambushed, again. Ahsoka, Anakin and two battalions of clones had been sent to scout the Seperatist forces of this frozen iceberg of a planet, and had split up to get the job done quickly. Unknowingly, Ahsoka and her squadron had walked straight into an electronic fence, one they hadn't seen in time due to the constant snowfall they had earlier been so grateful for in covering their tracks.

A shiver racked through her core, painfully reminding her she was still lying in the snow. She made another effort to sit up, this time making it to her elbows. She fell again.

"Nngh..." She let out a strangled sound as her side agonizingly flared. Suddenly, she realized her hand was wet. Crap. She opened her eyes only briefly enough to look down and confirm her suspicions, and almost wished she hadn't. She was bleeding.

Her heart rate sped up again as fear began to take hold. She couldn't get up. Anakin probably didn't even know yet that her squadron was in trouble, he and his had gone the opposite direction. She heard a yell as another clone, this one nearby, was shot. Snow was thrown onto her as he fell, displacing the powder beside her legs. Huh. He hadn't sounded _that_ close. Desperately, she tried to relax the panic rising in her chest. She began to focus on the force, looking for her master's signature. But she couldn't find it, couldn't focus as her mind began to drift, darkness closing in once again. Small shivers continually sent tremors through her body, causing more pain as she uncontrollably shook. She was so cold. Maybe if she just slept for a couple of minutes...

"No!" She told herself, trying to refocus on finding her master's force signature. But it was so hard, and sleep sounded so easy. A way to escape from this nightmare that already was fading, as sounds began to muffle again. She felt someone near her again, though she could tell it wasn't Anakin. A clone, she decided. She felt him touch her neck slightly. Was he trying to get her attention? He was calling for someone; "Commander." Wait, was that her? Why should he want her, she was napping? Surely someone else could help him. She groaned, wishing he would stop bothering her. She could feel him leave. Good. Wait, was he shot? No, that doesn't make sense, who would get shot on such a lovely day? Besides, it must be warm, she was no longer shivering after all. Why did that feel like it should be a bad thing? Oh well, she'd worry about that next week, when she wasn't so sleepy.

But she _was _worried. What was she worried about again? She couldn't remember, and suddenly she wanted to cry. Where was her master? She wanted him so badly, but she couldn't feel him. She just knew she _needed _him to come to her and be with her, but she couldn't find a reason for _that_, either. It was just a feeling.

As her awareness faded, she felt the slightest call forming in the back of her mind. It wasn't strong, but it was clear. She could hear her master, though faintly, through their connection in the force. It comforted her. "Ahsoka." That wasn't her name, was it? Of course it was, he was calling her! But... she didn't feel she had the strength to respond. She could feel him slightly stronger now, but she was so weak. She needed him to come and get her. She held tight to the force channel, but she could feel it slipping away from her along with her consciousness.

"Ahsoka!" It was distant, echoing. She needed to respond.

"Ahsoka!"

...needed to respond...

"Master..." She broadcast, the last of her resolve slipping away. With one final effort, she finished one more word. "...help."

Then nothing.


End file.
